Enjoying the paperback that I was kindly sent, but I couldn't get on with the audio version - the narrator just seemed wrong for the characters, in my opinion. Apologies! Book review coming soon via my blog.

A darkly entertaining, chaotic family drama with a sharp bite

It took me a few chapters to get into this one—there’s definitely a strange, almost disorienting start—but once I got my footing, Gifted & Talented had me absolutely hooked. Olivie Blake delivers an intense, sharply drawn family drama that reads like a reality show from another universe.

Arthur, Eilidh, and Meredith are three adult siblings who have just discovered their powerful magitech mogul father has died. What follows is a deliciously toxic unravelling of legacy, identity, and power. Each sibling is painfully entitled and deeply unlikable in their own right—with weird entourages and questionable choices—but it works. You can’t look away.

Meredith in particular is a venomous force, and watching her clash with her ex-boyfriend Jamie (who is hellbent on taking her down) adds to the tension. Arthur is making a mess of everything while desperately craving love, and Eilidh’s arc—possibly possessed?—was strange and compelling.

There’s a unique narrative voice throughout Lou ("God," the narrator and Meredith’s ex–best friend) that adds a layer of surrealism and wit. I did struggle a bit with the world-building: the magitech elements and the siblings’ abilities are never fully explained, and it left me feeling unmoored at times.

That said, this was a wild, clever, often darkly funny ride. If you like your fiction messy, dramatic, and just a bit bizarre, this one’s worth the trip.

After devouring Gifted and Talented in a single weekend, I couldn’t resist diving into the audiobook right away, and I’m so glad that I did. I felt the audiobook would offer a fresh experience, and I was right.

The narrator brought the Wren siblings to life in a new and immersive way, capturing each sibling's distinct voice and personality, from Meredith’s vulnerability and frustration to Arthur’s desperate need for love and Eilidh’s sense of impending doom. While listening, I found myself getting even more invested in their chaotic, dysfunctional lives. The fast pace and captivating plot still kept me hooked, and I was able to catch small details I missed during my first read.

Whether you’re already a fan of the book or new to the story, this audio version is a fantastic way to experience the chaotic family drama of the Wren siblings.

𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝑬𝒎𝒐𝒋𝒊𝒔: 😃👩🏻‍💼😃🔮😃📱😃🩰😃🍫😃 (couldn’t resist all the 😃- iykyk)

𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆: “ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴀᴘᴘ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ! 😃”

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒕: A gripping exploration of family dynamics, sibling rivalry and the journey from gifted & talented adolescent to burnt out adult set against a backdrop that blends magic, technology and power for a speculative feel.

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕:
😃 Succession ✨vibes✨
😃 Main Characters who are messy and real and absolutely awful people😂
😃 a cast of eccentric side characters (who aren’t perfect but some of whom aren’t awful people)
😃 Twists, Secrets & Betrayal
😃A blunt and colloquial ‘gossiping with your friends’ feel narrator.

𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘:
As a fan of Olivie Blake’s dense prose and someone who totally identifies with the Gifted child to burnt out adult pipeline, I knew I had to read this book asap and

From the first line, G&T captured my attention and while it isn’t a light read that you can just breeze through (and to clarify this is absolutely not a criticism: Blake’s style of prose is clever, provoking thought, inviting reflection and often requiring a bit of time to digest it) it kept me hooked throughout the twists and turns as the plot progressed, blending surreal, speculative and fantastical elements with raw explorations of dynamics, relationships and stereotypes within a family unit and the effects of formative trauma.

I absolutely loved Gillian and Yvez, two side characters connected to Arthur Wren (I think my favourite of the Wren siblings) but a standout secondary thread of the book for me, and what I connected with most, was Lou’s reflections on motherhood and accounts of her feeling towards ‘Monster’. As a toddler mum myself, it was incredible to read a realistic and raw depiction of motherhood and be able to relate to it so fully that it was actually emotional for me at times.

Overall I thought this was an interesting and unique read that was brilliantly crafted and I really liked the narration of the audiobook!

𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A sibling drama with magic is exactly what I needed to read. I recently read my first Olivie Blake book (One for My Enemy) and loved it. I'm now trying to read as much as I can from the author and this book did not disappoint.

Following the death of the family patriarch three siblings who don't exactly have anything in common have to gather at the family home to see who inherits the family's magical company.

I loved the dynamic between the siblings especially the nicknames given throughout. There was miscommunication and lack of ability to express emotions in great quantities in this book which was so sad but also realistic that you can't help but feel for the characters.

I especially loved the audiobook for this one and would highly recommend this to anyone who like urban fantasy with strong family elements.

Where There’s a Will, There’s a War crackles with razor-sharp wit, high-stakes family drama, and a healthy dose of psychic dysfunction. Thayer Wren may be dead, but his legacy is alive and scheming in his three wildly unbalanced heirs—each more desperate, damaged, and dangerously charming than the last.

Meredith, Arthur, and Eilidh are the perfect trio of “gifted kid burnout” gone corporate, political, and tragic. Their backstabbing pursuit of inheritance reads like Succession with superpowers, laced with biting social commentary and surprisingly heartfelt moments. This is a darkly funny, delightfully twisted take on legacy, identity, and the absolutely unhinged things we’ll do to earn a dead man’s love (and billions).

Highly recommended for fans of morally gray characters, sibling rivalries, and stories where the line between genius and disaster is telepathically thin.

Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake is an intriguing dive into the chaotic and often messy lives of the Wren siblings. Following the death of their father, Thayer Wren, the three prodigious siblings—Meredith, Arthur, and Eilidh—are forced to confront their past, their familial relationships, and the question of who will inherit their father's vast empire. Each character is deeply flawed, ambitious, and, at times, morally questionable, yet they are undeniably compelling. Blake's skillful writing makes these characters feel real—like a behind-the-scenes look at the dysfunctional lives of the ultra-privileged.

The novel's magical elements, particularly the siblings' extraordinary abilities, add a unique layer to the story. It’s fascinating to see how their powers intertwine with their personal struggles and ambitions. Despite their flaws, I found myself rooting for them, especially as they navigate the fallout from their father’s death.

What truly stands out here is the dynamic between the characters. The complexities of their relationships are well-crafted, creating a rich narrative that keeps you hooked. The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job bringing these characters to life. Their clear voice, even at higher speeds, kept the pacing tight and the intrigue high. I found myself eagerly pressing play to find out what would happen next.

While the book shines in character development and its examination of dysfunctional family dynamics, I do think the plot could have been a bit more engaging in places. The pacing felt uneven at times, with some sections dragging on a little too long. Nonetheless, Gifted & Talented is my favorite of Olivie Blake’s works so far, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you’re into flawed, ambitious characters and complex family drama with a touch of magic, this book is definitely worth a listen.

Overall, a solid 4-star read that I’d recommend to fans of character-driven narratives and speculative fiction.

Absolutely brilliant! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending it.

I downloaded this less than 2 weeks ago and was in the middle of 3 books at the time. This morning I have gone to listen to this audiobook from the Netgalley app to find it’s been archived and I can’t listen to it 🙄🙄 so dumb and annoying! I’m so disappointed

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook! I think the narration really suited the tone of the book and had a great delivery on the humorous aspects of the book. Even though there was not much plot happening throughout the book, the characters really took the spotlight. Also, even though the characters were all quite unlikeable in some way, I ended up getting so emotionally invested in how their story played out. At this point I really will read anything Olivie Blake writes and this book has solidified her as one of my favourite authors.

Thanks to net galley for the audiobook ARC of this book.

The performance from the narrator was superb and everyone's personalities came across fantastically!

This book made me realise I was reading this authors books wrong, what I mean by that is I was going in thinking in plot driven terms when they were honestly more of the character driven type. That being said when I realised this I loved it so much more. The characters all feel fleshed out in all the best and worst of their traits. I mean sometimes they were so terrible, but given how they grew up it's not so hard to understand.

When the siblings get together it's hard to tell if they will ignore or start verbally tearing one another apart. All trapped by whatever potential they are still trying to reach, they don't often seem to see each other.

I was totally invested in all of the characters, even the minor characters got their own back stories and I really enjoyed the flavours of dysfunction they brought to the story too.

The journeys taken throughout and the different perspectives from their other characters outside the family puts each if them into different contexts.

The dialogue and wit goes from lush and languid to sharp and quippy in the most hilarious and satisfying ways.

Topics that are very relevant were talked about and explored the fact that humans like create the same problems but in different hues.

As someone who is really into grand epic fantasies this world felt more magical realism, I could make up enough of the physics that I wasn't too put off by it but for those who like defined rules this could be off putting.

Overall this book was a solid one for me, I enjoyed it and felt the pieces were well placed.

Olivie Blake's strength of writing flawed and pretentious characters that you can't help but root for shines through here again in Gifted & Talented. The book follows the three prodigious Wren siblings after their father's death as we delve into their lives and secrets while they wait to find out who will inherit their father's business.

These characters are messy, overly ambitious and of questionable morals but I found myself invested in their lives. If it wasn't for the magical element, I could almost believe these are real people, like a behind-the-scenes documentary following the dysfunctional lives of the rich.

Overall I enjoyed this book and it is definitely my favourite of what I have read from this author. The characters' personalities and the dynamics between them was a real strong point for me that really elevated the story.

The audiobook did a great job of narrating here and kept me intrigued and wanting to know what happened. The voice was very clear even at fast speeds.

Thank you to Macmillan UK Audio and Netgalley for this audio copy to review.

*Audiobook review*

WOW 5⭐️ performance by Eunice Wong. Absolute phenomenal performance!

Blake has done an amazing job of bringing us deep into the lives of 3 gifted siblings who are navigating life around their father's death and it's so beautifully written. We delve deep into the expectations and challenges each sibling has faced over the last decade. Each of them reflecting on where life has brought them by the time their father's funeral comes about, have decided to make big changes for the better.

It did take me a couple weeks to get through the audiobook because there was no clear direction where the book was headed and for that reason, it struggled to keep my attention. The 3 MCs and others in the book did also have magic but I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't a huge part of the story.

(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

This book is all about the characters, and Olivie Blake really knows how to write them in a way that makes you feel invested - even when they’re messy, morally questionable, or downright unlikable. That’s honestly one of her strengths as a writer, taking characters who are loud, flawed, and complicated, and making you root for them despite it all. One of the best parts is how immersed you get in each of the characters and how believable their dysfunction feels. The sibling dynamics are chaotic and often tense, and their relationships with each other feel so real and raw - full of grudges, guilt, and that complicated mix of love and resentment that often comes with family.

The whole story feels like a deep dive into their personalities, ambitions, and how they deal with the huge expectations placed on them by their father, both when he was alive and after his death. You get to see each sibling’s different take on success, ambition, and happiness, and how they process their grief and the pressure that’s haunted them since childhood. It’s like a messy, raw exploration of how their upbringing shaped them and how each of them has their own ideas of what it means to be happy and successful. They all have different lines they’re willing to cross, different ways they seek validation, and it’s fascinating (and sometimes painful) to watch them navigate that.

As always, Olivie Blake’s writing is gorgeous. It’s got that signature lyrical quality, but it’s also sharp and snappy when it needs to be, especially in the dialogue. The way she balances poetic prose with quick, witty exchanges really brings the characters to life and makes their interactions feel so authentic. The plot itself is messy and chaotic, but that feels intentional - it mirrors the characters’ own lives and how tangled up their ambitions have become. It’s definitely more character-driven than plot-heavy, but that actually works for this kind of story.

The one thing I found a little lacking was the fantasy/magical powers element. It’s just not explained much at all, which didn’t ruin the story for me, but I was definitely curious about it. You never really find out how the siblings got their powers, where they come from, or how they work, and while that’s not the focus of the story, I couldn’t help but want to know more. I get that the magic is more of a backdrop to their ambition and how they use it to shape their identities, but I’m just the kind of reader who likes to have a bit more world-building detail.

All in all, though, this book really nails that character-driven story vibe. It’s chaotic, intense, and beautifully written, and even when the characters are at their worst, you still end up caring about them. It’s one of those stories that’s more about the people than the plot, and it’s done so well.

note: i will rate the book and the audiobook separately.

audiobook: ••••.25
i love eunice wong's narration. this got some sassy vibes at some parts, at the same time i can feel her emotions while she says the characters (especially that one chapter with meredith and jamie)

book: •••.75
even though there are some parts got me laughing and relatable, there are some words and phrases that threw me off. it's my first olivie blake book, and i must say i've enjoyed this. and i think it was the right decision (for me!) to listen it as an audiobook because if i read only the book, the pacing will be slow (also, the illustrations inside got me awed).

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed the ride. The beginning was tough, so much rapid-fire intellectual sparring, so many characters who felt like they existed purely to deliver clever dialogue. But once I settled into the rhythm of it, I started to appreciate what Olivie Blake was doing— she’s a huge character builder after all.

The chaotic sibling dynamic was one of my favorite parts. The jealousy, the rivalry, the way they push and pull at each other—it all felt so raw and real. Those moments of messy, complicated connection made the book for me. And honestly, I don’t think I would have gotten through some of the heavier, more meandering parts without the audiobook. The narration really helped bring out the emotion behind the words and kept me engaged when my attention might have wandered otherwise.

That said, I’m definitely more of a lover of world-building, and that’s just not Blake’s thing. She’s all about building strong characters, and exploring deep relationships with heavy dialogue, which is fantastic if you’re in the mood for it, but I did find myself wishing for something a little more grounded at times. Still, once I got past the initial struggle, I was glad I stuck with it.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Gifted & Talented
Olivie Blake

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This will be the eighth book that I own by this author and will also be the very first that I've actually read - and yes, I am ashamed by this fact.

So, on that note, you won't be surprised that I went into this totally blind and having no clue what to expect, other than the greatness that I've heard everyone talking about in previous book's reviews.

Well I can definitely say that this was an experience and I honestly don't have the words to do this book justice.

I will say that I was petrified going into this as it's one of the longest audio book reads I've ever done and at over 18 hours, it's a chunky one!
However, I was so sucked into the whole thing that I just kept being drawn back to listening in and got through this much quicker than I'd expected.

This was described as magical fantasy and for quite some time, I really wasn't too sure about this classification.
Having not read any Blake previously, I just wasn't sure where to place the odd occurrences that were happening and whether these were more psychological than magical.
But as we read further into this and more events unfold, this becomes much more obvious.

Our character list is pretty small focussing on the 3 Wren siblings, their deceased father and a few additional characters who play their parts to perfection.
The family dynamics are all over the place and I loved getting to know each of the siblings in great depth, both from their own pov chapters - which dew ribed personal thoughts, feelings and events that shaped them through life - and their contrasting sibling pov chapters - which helped us see how they all thought about and related to the others.

There was just so much going on that it's impossible to give any insight into the storyline, other than this was a super in depth delve into these characters' psyches which was both fascinating and yet often uncomfortable.
But I absolutely loved every minute.

This has definitely spurred me on to read more of my Blake tbr stack - but I absolutely need a breather before diving back in.

(4/5⭐️) 🎧 Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of ‘Gifted and Talented’ in audiobook format. Firstly, I really enjoyed the narrator. Her voice is clear and embodies every character uniquely and well. As for the book itself, this is such a character driven story! The plot is evident but events that occur do not accelerate the story as well as the characters themselves. They are all beautifully described. Flawed. Some arrogant. Naive. Very human. Their dialogue is humorous and flows naturally. Even the way they speak suits their character well. My favourite characters being Gillian, Meredith (sister bitch) and Lou. This book focuses heavily on 3 siblings and their lives after the death of their father. We follow their lives, their thoughts, faults, loses, growth. I appreciate towards the end they all grow in their own way, really take ownership of themselves and their choices in life. I love their dynamic at the end and how they all healed in their childhood selves. The addition of some simple witchcraft also made for some fun complexity to the ordeal - with Eilidh causing the apocalypse and Meredith convincing people to be happy. (And Arthur’s death though it was due to him being stupid and not magical).

This was definitely written in typical Olivie Blake prose and I loved it. It gave me flashbacks of ‘Masters of Death’ which had such a good cast of characters. More books like this please!

Well, this story was certainly a journey. I had an absolute blast for the first 30% and couldn’t put the book down, but I struggled to get through the rest of the story. I’m not a fan of character-driven novels, and I haven’t read any other works by Olivie Blake, so I probably picked this up with the wrong expectations. Considering the blurb, the story was surprisingly… tame. Where was the murder, the scheming, the revenge? Am I the only one who thinks something is missing?

Kudos to Olivie Blake for making me root for these horrible, horrible characters. Not many authors can write unlikeable characters and make the reader emphasise with them. I’m looking at you, Yellowface 👀.

If you’re unsure about the length, I would highly recommend the audiobook. It helped me get through the tougher bits.

Olivie Blake's magical realism is so real and witty and satirical, and I loved this booked from start to finish. A fantastic satire of today's social media age, this book is primarily a character driven romp filled with family dynamics and social commentary. It features the engaging prose and well-developed characters we've come to expect from Blake, and a narrator that adds a layer of interest to the whole thing.

The audiobook narrator was excellent, the characters were easy to distinguish from one another, and the appropriate levels of levity, sarcasm, etc, were relayed well to the listener. I listened to this at 1.5x speed, which is normal for my listening preferences.